Retelling tasks

Let’s see how well you know the content of the story

Task 1. Say whether it is true or false. If it’s false, give the correct variant.

1. Jimmy had both parents and lived happily.

2. His father worked from morning till night and had no time to look after the children.

3. Jimmy liked his stepmother very much and she liked him.

4. The stepmother was a cruel woman and made Jimmy work a lot.

5. All the money that Jimmy’s father had left for dinner was spent on sweets.

6. She called him “Jimmy, dear” for the first time.

7. The woman asked the boy to tell his father a lie.

8. Jimmy took a penny and spent it on toys.

9. The father believed Jimmy; he was kind and didn’t give him a good beating.

10. The boy hated his stepmother so much that he wanted to see her dead.

Task 2. Answer the questions on the text.

1. When did Jimmy’s mother die?

2. Why did his father get married again?

3. What kind of woman was the stepmother?

4. What work did Jimmy always do?

5. What happened one day?

6. What did the stepmother asked the boy to do?

7. Why did Jimmy agree to do that?

8. Why was the father angry when he came back home?

9. What kind of punishment did Jimmy get?

10. Why did he want to see the stepmother dead?

Task 3. In your point of view how many logical parts there are in the story? What are they?

Task 4. Right now try to retell the story to your partner or to your teacher. We believe that some phrases will be of great help to you. You can find them at the end of the grammar reference at p.117

OK. So now off you go to the next story!

Story 6. Patience rewarded (after Hester Mundis)

Before reading the story make sure you know how to pronounce these proper names:

Albert Payson Terhune

Lassie

Wilson

California

Philadelphia

Do you really think that patience is rewarded? If so? Why?

Now read such a touching story. We hope you’ll like it.

Albert Payson Terhune, the famed dog writer of the 1920s and 1930s who authored the Lassie books, often told this story about his friend Wilson to illustrate the deep love that people and dogs share. It also shows how sometimes what seems to be in the best interest of all concerned may not apply when one of those concerned is a dog.

Wilson's dog, Jack, was an energetic, six-year-old collie that would meet him every day at the trolley station when Wilson returned from work. This was a ritual that had begun when Jack was a pup. The dog knew the route to and from the station like the back of his paw—and following that route was the highlight of his day. So when Wilson changed jobs and had to move to California, he thought it best to leave Jack on his home turf in Philadelphia with a relative. He explained all this to the dog upon leaving and told him that they both would have to adjust to new homes.

But Jack didn't want a new home. He would not stay with the family he'd been left with. He returned to Wilson's old house, even though it was boarded up, and there he passed his solitary days beside an abandoned chair beneath the portico. But every evening, tail wagging, he trotted off to the trolley station. For as long as Jack had been in the world, Wilson had always taken the same trolley home from work, and Jack had been there to greet him. But evening after evening, there was no sign of the devoted dog's master. Con­fused and sad, he would return alone to the deserted house.

The dog's depression grew. He refused the food left for him, and as the days passed, he became thinner and thinner, his ribs noticeable even through his thick blond coat. But every evening, ever hopeful, he'd go to the station to meet the trolley. And every evening, he'd return to the porch more despondent than before.

No one knows why Jack's new family didn't contact Wilson, but Jack's deteriorating condition did not go unnoticed. A friend who lived nearby was so upset by it that he took it upon himself to send a telegram to Wilson in Califor­nia, informing him of the dog's situation.

That was all it took.

Wilson bought a return train ticket immediately; he knew what he had to do. Upon arriving in Philadelphia, he waited several hours just so that he could take the same trolley that he always did when coming home. When it arrived at the station, sure enough, there was Jack, waiting and watching as the passengers got off. Looking and hoping. And then suddenly there he was, his beloved owner. His master had returned at last! Jack's world was whole once more—and so was Wilson's.

Wilson later told Terhune, "Jack was sobbing almost like a child might sob. He was shivering all over as if he had a chill. And I? Well, I blew my nose and did a lot of fast winking."

Wilson took his devoted dog, Jack, back to California with him. They were never separated again.

Notes:

the Lassie Books – сборник рассказов о домашних животных. Основой для книг послужил сериал о собаке, породы колли, у которой было несколько хозяев. Каждая серия была посвящена определенному событию, путешествию в жизни собаки.

Do you think the same about patience? Have you enjoyed the story? You have, haven’t you? Now do some tasks to see if you know it well.